The former judge accused in land fraud, told how he and his ex-colleagues were offered parcels at a value of 1,2 million euros and that judges from Rostov own vessels of merchant marine.

A hearing over the case of retired judge of Khostinsky District Court Dmitry Novikov has begun in Rostov Regional Court. Novikov recused the court and, while the decision was preparing, begun to communicate with media. According to Kommersant, Novikov told why his ex-colleagues were taking revenge on him. He allegedly obstructed the judiciary establishment to attain expensive land parcels in Sochi during the preparation of Olympic Games 2014. He was offered a parcel at value of 1,2 million euros, as all other judges, but Novikov refused taking it and did not allow others to get the parcels. At the same time, according to the defendant, during the residency of former chairman of the regional court Victor Tkachev, Rostov judges owned “three vessels of merchant marine.”

It should be reminded that the former judge is himself accused of speculations with land – art. 285 para. 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abuse of office), art. 294 para. 3 of CC RF (obstruction of justice) and art. 205 para. 1 of the CC RF (handing down a judgment or a decision known to be wrongful). According to the investigation, Novikov took possession of land parcels in Adler District of Sochi with the help of illegal judgments. The parcels he then registered on his friends and sold for 650 thousands dollars. Later, higher judicial authority canceled Novikov decisions. The judge was arrested in February 2010 during the Federal Security Service’ investigation of the criminal case over fraud. At the same time, qualification board of judges of the Krasnodar Region, divested his status of retired judge.

However, according to Kommersant, even if the court adjudges Dmitry Novikov guilty he would probably escape imprisonment as the crimes he accused in are actually expired. It should be recalled that the investigation has been proceeding since 2010, but the criminal case was prolonged by many appeals of the defense. Novikov even managed to transfer his hearing from the Krasnodar Region Court to the Rostov Region.